[Ireland] ‘We really are harmless’
A West Cork cross dresser has called for greater public awareness on transgender issues. Stuart (surname with editor), who is also identified as Stella, told the Cork News that more education is needed to improve the rights of trans people, allowing them to be more widely accepted and respected in the community. “I think transgender issues have really moved on, due to vocal people getting out there and discussing it. However, it is still essential to educate the public, for them to understand that we really are harmless,” he said.

[Malaysia] Crackdown on Mak Nyah
Six transvestites (pondans) looking for clients were apprehended in an integrated operation here during the wee hours, Thursday.
Others who realised the presence of authorities immediately kicked off their shoes and fled on barefoot to avoid being caught.Six transvestites arrested

[Canada] [Commentary] The UNAUTHORIZED Trans* March of Toronto’s Pride Week
The UNAUTHORIZED Trans* March of Toronto’s Pride Week is billed as an opportunity for Trans* (transgender and transsexual), Genderqueer, and other gender variant people and their allies to get out into the major streets of Toronto, and march in support of their community. I’m proud to be part of organizing this important event.

[FL, USA] Florida Police Still Seeking Killer of Trans Woman
Police in the Miami Beach, Fla., area are reaching out to the public to try to solve a three-month old killing of a local transgender woman. According to South Florida Gay News, Rene "Rosita" Hidalgo was found bludgeoned to death in her home March 15, after friends reported her missing to police.

[Colombia] Medellin transgender exhibition goes virtual
A Medellin photo exhibition featuring transgender models has been opened to an international audience, after the city government created an online portal to view the works.

sexta-feira, junho 29, 2012

[UK] Ruth, 79, looks so ordinary but hides an astonishing secret – one her family have struggled to come to terms with
Fashion has lost none of its allure for Ruth Rose, who at 79 has no intention of descending into that old age netherworld of elasticated waists and polyester.
Her wardrobe is filled with beautiful, elegant vintage and haute couture dresses accrued over a lifetime. She shows me a particular favourite; a Japanese printed silk gown which, when teamed with a white mink, she tells me, drew gasps of admiration when she wore it to the Royal Opera House a few years back.

[Bulgaria] Action, not just words, needed to tackle anti-gay hate crimes
An urgent overhaul of Bulgarian laws is needed to ensure that hate crimes which all too frequently target gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are properly investigated and prosecuted, Amnesty International recommends in a briefing published today.

[Kenya] Kenyan Media Weigh In On US Embassy Gay Pride
Key media houses and stations in Kenya yesterday weighed in on the issue of homosexuality after the US embassy in Nairobi hosted its first ever LGBT pride on Tuesday morning.

[CA, USA] Pride at Work / Havoq Crashes Kaiser Contingent in SF Pride Parade
On Pride Sunday, San Francisco Pride at Work/HAVOQ along with a large contingent of OccuPride activists streamed into the street in front of the Kaiser Permanente float, surrounding their pink thrive balloons with the message, “Trans people don’t thrive when Kaiser discriminates.” Pride at Work decided to take action as part of an ongoing campaign to push Kaiser to remove the discriminatory exclusions in Kaiser insurance plans that make it so that most transgender patients at Kaiser can’t get the care they want, and that their doctors recommend.

[IN, USA] Transgender detainee complains of treatment in jail
An inmate in the Marion County Jail says she's facing constant discrimination while behind bars. She's transgender, and jail administrators say they're keeping her in isolation for her own protection.

[MI, USA] Ann Arbor Public Hearing on Discrimination Planned
There will be a public hearing, sponsored by the Ann Arbor Human Rights Commission and the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, to hear testimony on discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, July 12 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., in the Ann Arbor City Council Chamber, located on the second floor of the Guy C. Larcom, Jr. Municipal Building, 301 E. Huron Street.

[MI, USA] Out for a Job
Over 150 people packed Affirmations on June 21, for the first-ever LGBT Job Expo in the state. National companies and multicultural corporations including GM, Chrysler, Merrill Lynch, MetLife and Deloitte had recruiting experts on hand looking to hire the best and the brightest.

[Malta]MGRM welcomes approval of hate crime law
The Malta Gay Rights Movement has welcomed the passing of Hate Crime legislation in Parliament that extends the scope of this law from race and creed to also include sexual orientation and gender identity. The Bill was approved by parliament last night.

[Turkey] Nationalist group attacks Taksim transsexual parade
An ultranationalist group attempted to attack participants in Turkey’s third transsexual pride parade in Istanbul’s central Taksim Square on June 24, but police stopped the group before anyone suffered serious injuries.
Members of Alperen Ocakları, the youth wing of the Islamist Great Unity Party (BBP), threw stones and bottles at a group of thousands of people wearing costumes and carrying colorful banners for the parade.

[Uganda]Nobel Peace Laureates raise their voices to protect LGBTI rights
In an unprecedented statement, four esteemed Nobel Laureates, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Muhammad Yunus, have expressed solidarity with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) people worldwide. Together, they call on the global community to recognize that traditional cultural values compel them to respect the inherent dignity and human rights of all individuals.

[Kenya] US Embassy in Nairobi Hosts Gay Pride Event
On Tuesday, the U.S. embassy in Kenya's capital hosted a gay pride event, believed to be the first of its kind in the country. The event is as part of the Obama administration’s policy to fight prejudice against lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

[India] To friends, with love
Sowmiya poses like a Tamil actress from the 80s. She smiles demurely, her brown skin glowing against her orange blouse and contrasting green sari. She is pensive in another photo — she’s dressed in a purple t-shirt in it. But Sowmiya seems happiest in the photo of her and Kalki on a bicycle.

[India] Soon, dignity for transgenders
Sumati has been clapping to get attention of shopkeepers to make ends meet for almost three decades. If everything works well, this transgender will stop begging soon.

[Laos] Laos holds first gay pride event despite taboo
Laos has held its first ever gay pride event in what supporters hope is a sign of softening social values in the small communist country.
Although homosexuality is legal in Laos, it is frowned upon by many among the socially conservative nation of around 6 million people, and event organisers decided against holding a parade as is common at global pride events.

[New Zealand] Passport process to become more flexible
Internal Affairs is hoping to introduce a more flexible passport policy for transgender and intersex people in September, and has teamed up with the Human Rights Commission in order to get feedback on the issue.

quarta-feira, junho 27, 2012

[Russia] Putin’s new law may be used against gay marches
A new law in Russia fining people for ‘unsanctioned rallies’ could also be used to crack down on gay prides, says Amnesty
New laws restricting the right to peaceful assembly in Russia will affect gay pride marchers, warns human rights group Amnesty International.

[India] Eunuch not a woman, high court upholds lower court order
This is the fascinating story of a eunuch elected as mayor from a seat reserved for Dalit woman and a three-year prolonged legal battle which was finally put to an end by the Madhya Pradesh high court on Monday afternoon.
The high court upheld disqualification of the eunuch and ruled that her nearest rival in the contest would be rightful claimant to the mayor's chair.

[DC, USA] Bathroom Access Project
The DC Center is working to ensure that the Enforcement Policy for Single-Occupancy Bathrooms that was passed into law on February 24, 2011 is implemented thoroughly.The law states that single gender-specific stall bathrooms should be gender neutral and not labeled male or female. The DC Center will be meeting with Legislative Counsel Jillian L. Irvin to get help and a better understanding of how to enforce the law. This is very important because we are striving to put an end to discrimination against transgender people.

[NY, USA] GLAAD Marches in 8th Annual Trans Day of Action
The 8th Annual Day of Action (TDOA) began with a rally in Washington Square Park in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, a march in the surrounding streets, and speak-outs by organizers of the project and members of the community. Some speakers celebrated the achievements that transgender and gender non-conforming people and their allies have made recently. Others encouraged the audience to mobilize and take a stance against the discrimination that they continue to experience in so many different areas of their lives. Many took the time to mourn and remember loved ones they had recently lost. Marchers chanted pleas to end hatred and discrimination towards trans people and held signs that proclaimed messages such as “Equal Protections for Trans People Now” and “Gender Justice Now.”

[Turkey]Nationalist group attacks Taksim transsexual parade
An ultranationalist group attempted to attack participants in Turkey’s third transsexual pride parade in Istanbul’s central Taksim Square on June 24, but police stopped the group before anyone suffered serious injuries.

[India] Rainbow warriors steal the show
Amid the din of slogans, dressed in a myriad of colourful costumes and chanting cries for freedom, members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community here came together on Sunday afternoon to reassert their message for equal rights and acceptance.

[India] ‘Suicides among transgenders under-reported’
Transgender activist Priya Babu has attempted suicide three times. Author of four books dealing with the lives of transgenders, Priya said she had a number of reasons. “A lack of recognition in the community and love failures were what led to my attempts at ending my life,” she says.

[Malaysia] Malaysia LGBT community demanding rights, end to discrimination
The couple steals kisses, holds hands and dances the night away in one of Kuala Lumpur’s top clubs. The only difference from the scores of other couples on the floor is that the two are both women. In recent months, discussions on LGBT rights in the country have increased, and for these two girls, there is some hope for change in Malaysia.

[USA] Columbia advocate shares transgender experience with U.S. Senate
You could have heard a pin drop.
That's how Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, described the atmosphere as Kylar Broadus testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on June 12.

[CO, USA] Denver Police Announces Nation's Most Progressive Trans Policies
The GLBT Community Center of Colorado recently announced that the Denver, Colorado, Sheriff's Department has issued new policies about how they'll be dealing with transgender inmates. The Center’s transgender programs coordinator Courtney Gray. LGBTQNation.com, the new policy will change everything from "transport to booking and housing" making it the most progessive policy in the nation.

[Philippines] LGBT group: Aquino ‘unfriend’ of Filipino gays
Alliance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights advocators Baguio Pride Network criticized the Aquino administration for its gross neglect of the rights and welfare of the LGBT sector and branded the President of the Philippines as an “unfriend” of gay Filipinos.

[MO, USA] MU med school puts focus on LGBT health needs
The University of Missouri's School of Medicine is starting to focus on making sure a new generation of physicians is prepared to serve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered patients.

[Uganda]Nobel Peace Laureates raise their voices to protect LGBTI rights
In an unprecedented statement, four esteemed Nobel Laureates, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Muhammad Yunus, have expressed solidarity with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) people worldwide. Together, they call on the global community to recognize that traditional cultural values compel them to respect the inherent dignity and human rights of all individuals.Uganda says gays now free to meet

[Indonesia]Graying transgenders find a home
It is only a small pink house in the middle of a quiet, secluded neighborhood in Depok, West Java. However, the house, currently under partial renovation, may well be the future haven for graying transgenders rejected by society.

[Canada]More B.C. school districts adopt antihomophobia policies
Although June is Pride Month across North America, Vancouver's Pride parade doesn't take place on August 5. Nonetheless, local school districts have been giving British Columbians reasons to be proud of them by implementing measures to counter queer discrimination.

[USA]Trans Workplace Rights Still Murky
Nine out of 10 Americans mistakenly believe that there is a federal law that prohibits employers from firing someone because the individual is gay or transgender, according to The Atlantic. But no such law exists, and this type of discrimination is legal in the majority of states.

[CA, USA]Trans March at S.F. Pride draws about 2,000
Mikhail Phillips remembers when he decided to live as a man.
He was a girl at a West Virginia high school, hanging on to the belief that wanting to live as a man was just a temporary longing, when his best friend told him it was time to admit the truth.

[NY, USA]Calamus Grant Totals $300,000 for ESPA Transgender Push
Underscoring its commitment to finally winning approval of a transgender civil rights law in New York State, the Empire State Pride Agenda (ESPA), the LGBT community’s leading lobby group in Albany, has announced a $300,000 grant from the Calamus Foundation, which funds HIV and LGBT services, to support its educational efforts focused on gender identity and expression issues.

[Montenegro]LGBT rainbow flag will not flaunt on the wind
The rainbow flag will not be set in front or on the business building in which the official headquarters of the institution of the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro (Ombudsman) is situated.

[Nepal] Gays hail Nepal move to liberalize ID cards
Hindu-majority Nepal said on Friday that it will start issuing identification cards with three categories for genders - a move hailed by gay activists, who said previous regulations had been discriminatory.

[IL, USA] HUD, IDHR partner to end housing discrimination against transgender people
The U.S. Department of Housing and the Illinois Department of Human Rights have teamed up to strengthen policies to protect LGBT people — especially transgender people — from housing discrimination, according to a joint-letter from IDHR Director Rocco Claps and HUD Assistant Secretary John Trasviña.

[MN, USA] CeCe McDonald & the right to self-defense
Activists in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer liberation movement and allies all around the United States are spreading the word about the injustice facing CeCe McDonald in Minnesota. In cities large and small — including Syracuse, N.Y.; Santa Rosa, Calif.; Baltimore; Portland, Ore.; Detroit; Olympia, Wash.; Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Boston, among many others — demands for McDonald’s freedom have been raised at Pride marches and events. From signs and banners, T-shirts emblazoned with the words “Free CeCe,” to floats, graffiti and other creative expressions, McDonald’s case is generating publicity and solidarity, not just in the U.S. but in other countries as well.CeCe McDonald inspires Dyke March and Trans March merger to create TransDykeQueer March 2012

[NY, USA] Tens of Thousands Silently Protest Excesses of Stop and Frisk
The NYPD’s practice of stopping and frisking virtually every African-American and Latino youth in the city, many several times annually — there were nearly 700,000 such stops last year alone — was finally protested on a mass scale on Father’s Day, June 17 in a mile-long silent march down Fifth Avenue from Harlem to Mayor Bloomberg’s mansion on 79th Street.

[NY, USA] Court orders Sizzler to pay assault victim
A Forest Hills Sizzler has been ordered to pay $25,000 to a transgender woman after a court ruled that staff and diners had attacked her because of her sexual orientation during an incident in September 2010.

[WA, USA] Post-Mastectomy Woman Banned From Swimming Topless By Discriminatory Parks Dept.
The Seattle Parks and Recreation is refusing to let a breast cancer survivor swim topless in the city’s public pool–even though she has no breasts, she considers herself androgynous, and the city allows public nudity. It’s really a form of discrimination at its finest, proving once again, that our society is just overly obsessed with breasts–and doesn’t have a clue how to deal with women who don’t have them.

[Europe]Silencing voices against homophobia violates human rights
Recent months have seen renewed efforts in some Council of Europe member states to silence voices against homophobia and transphobia. Laws banning information about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and inter-sex (LGBTI) issues mark a worrying step back towards a bygone era when homosexuals were treated like criminals. These efforts to curtail freedom of expression and assembly run starkly against international and European human rights standards.

[Germany] Lost in transition
Alexander was two years old when he sat up in the bathtub next to his baby sister and declared “I’m a girl, too.” His mother Anna thought little of this and replied simply, “No, you’re a boy.” Still, Alexander insisted, so Anna told him, “Look between your legs. See. You’re a boy.” But Alexander saw something else, something his mother would learn to understand but his father never could. “I’m just a different type of girl,” he would later say.

[Germany] Trans facts
The Transsexuellengesetz was introduced in 1981, offering trans people the option to
either change their name (“small solution”) or all birth records (“big solution”).

[Australia] Cuties at the TBar
Queensland Pride chats to Jaxxon Chilli, who has been building up the transgender social group QT's and the popular once a month TBar night.
TBar was started in 2010 by Vic Ogilvie and Paige Phoenix as transgender and friends Sunday afternoon club. It was handed over to me about a year and a half ago. I have been trying to build it up and get the word out about this fresh new club that feels a little different from the average.

[Australia] Gina G: A Lifetime Achievement
Gina G has been a lobbyist for the transgender community since 1992. The winner of a Lifetime Achievement Award at the recent Queens Birthday Ball, she talks to Andrew Shaw about how she became the poster girl for the Queensland trans movement.

[USA] Trans Health Care Rights on Trial
In the coming days, the Supreme Court is expected to issue its ruling on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The National Center for Transgender Equality, along with other LGBT organizations, strongly believes that the ACA’s passage was instrumental in creating new health care rights for transgender and LGB community members. Not only does the ACA expand coverage for all Americans, but protects a vulnerable and disproportionately uninsured (and underinsured) population.

[USA] HRC Report: 2012 sees progress toward LGBT healthcare equality
The number of American hospitals striving to treat LGBT patients equally and respectfully is on the rise, according to a report released Tuesday by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation at a press conference with U.S. Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

[CA, USA] Trans March aims to span generations
Thousands of attendees are expected to fill Dolores Park with the color of purple to show the transgender community's unity as it mourns its losses and celebrates its victories at the ninth annual Trans March Friday, June 22 from noon to 6:30 p.m.

[DC, USA] Team DC participates in Nike’s LGBT sports summit
A transgender former George Washington University basketball player was among the nearly 30 people who took part in an LGBT sports summit at Nike’s world headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., from June 14-17.

[FL, USA] Veterans’ Affairs focus on transgender issues
The Orlando VA Medical Center is working toward its goal of providing better support to transgender veterans. On July 7, it hosted an hour long seminar titled “Deep Inside My Brain—A Transgender Woman’s Journey” by Rachel Hunt of Orlando. The presentation was aimed at helping medical and mental healthcare professionals provide healthcare to transgendered veterans.

[IL, USA] Candice Hart: A life before transition
Take off your shoes. Put them on the opposite feet.
You can walk around like that for a while, but it'll gnaw at you. If you're distracted, you can get through the day. But no matter what, you know something isn't right.